“Psychiatrists are supposed to have an expertise in human nature. But maybe it’s wrong to think anyone can penetrate a soul that does not wish to be seen. In this case, someone had come to the clinic for something other than our expertise. Abusable prescriptions are the traditional uncreative reason — but that wasn’t what he wanted. He made no request for Xanax, and had no stuttering recollection that only one medication had ever controlled his anxiety, and he wasn’t certain but he thought it might begin with a Z. … He probably lied to us because he wanted services the clinic offers to those who qualify: help with housing, vocational training, medical insurance, funding. The trauma and depression he described was heart-rending; the tears looked salty. It never occurred to us not to believe his stories. Weeks afterward, the intake coordinator told me she had learned additional facts from another source that made those stories impossible.” (01/27/08)